Dallas Cowboys Review – November 19, 2017

I knew it had the potential to be ugly. I knew the Cowboys were the underdogs even at home. I knew the Eagles are currently the best team in football. I didn’t expect the Cowboys to win. But I didn’t expect this. This, this was embarrassing. This was a game where the Cowboys knew if they lost, the Eagles all but officially lock up the NFC East. They knew if they lost, you can come close to putting the last nail in the coffin to this season. And they just didn’t care. An uninspired offense, an uninspired defense, an uninspired coaching staff, and a quarterback who just played the worst game of his career. The Dallas Cowboys just got murdered by the Philadelphia Eagles…on their own home field.

First QuarterIronically the best play of the game for the Cowboys came on the very first play. Ryan Swtizer returned the opening kickoff 61 yards and the Cowboys were in business…so I thought. A 3 and out was the ultimate result, but Mike Nugent kicked one in from 48 yards to put the Cowboys on the board first. Immediately after this, Philly marches right down the field and scores with ease. Nugent kicks another one in on the next drive and a 7-6 deficit is where the Cowboys sat after one quarter. Late in the quarter, Dak threw an interception (thank T-Will’s butter fingers) and the following drive resulted in a missed field goal for Philly. The next drive for Dallas was crucial to cash in on. But, of course, they didn’t.

Second QuarterContinuing it’s momentum from the latter half of the first quarter, the defense actually played really well and kept Dallas in this game. It started to become evident in this quarter that Dak did not come to play and he just wasn’t all mentally there. He threw another interception in this quarter that was an inexcusable one. Somehow, the only scoring play in the quarter was another Mike Nugent field goal. The Cowboys were up 9-7 after one half. How did that happen?

Second HalfI’ll conglomerate the third and fourth quarters into one section because it was just bad. Defense didn’t continue to hold it’s momentum, the offense was awful, there’s just really not much you can say. An awful half of football in one of the most important games of the year. Philly’s offense had three touchdowns, Philly’s defense had a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Dak threw a third interception. After that, Jason Garrett finally got the grand idea that maybe he shouldn’t be in the game anymore.

This was a terrible performance. The Eagles are, without a doubt, going to win the NFC East and the Cowboys chances at the postseason are now slim to none. Not having Ezekiel Elliot was the least of the Cowboys worries in this game. No Tyron Smith severely hurts the offense and the lack of Sean Lee on defense is a huge blow. To add insult to injury, Anthony Hitchens left with a groin injury and he’s likely going to be out for some time pending an MRI Monday. Even if the postseason becomes less relevant for the Cowboys as the season progresses, it will still be interesting to track. The performance of the team will and should have an impact on any possible coaching changes coming this offseason.